Framework 2020-2038

Manchester Zero Carbon Framework 2020-38 (Draft)

Climate change is one of the most urgent issues facing us today and leaves no corner of the planet untouched. It is clear from the increasing floods, wildfires and other weather related disasters that the effects are taking place right now. In October 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) released their most pressing report stating urgent action to be taken now to limit damaging Global Warming and Climate Change.

Shorty after the IPCC report was published in November 2018, The Manchester Climate Change Board submitted a proposal to Manchester City Council setting out what the city needs to do to make it’s full contribution to the Paris Agreement.

The Tyndall Centre’s analysis recommends that Manchester should adopt the following Science Based targets:

• Only emit a maximum of 15m tonnes CO2 during the period 2018-2100 (our ‘carbon budget’)

• Reduce CO2 emissions by 13%-year-on-year, starting from 2018

• Become a zero carbon city by 2038.

Manchester City Council considered the proposal "Playing Our Full Part" and supporting documents at the Council's Executive Meeting on November 14th 2018 and formally endorsed and adopted the targets as policy.

Alongside the adoption of the targets the Executive also committed the City Council ‘to develop[ing] a draft action plan by March 2019 and a final detailed plan by March 2020 setting out how the city will ensure that it stays within the proposed carbon budget’. In line with Manchester Climate Change Board’s role to help drive forward this agenda, we have been working with partners to start to develop an approach that can assist with the production of the citywide action plan.

The Draft Manchester Zero Carbon Framework 2020-38 document has been produced by over 60 organisations represented by the Manchester Climate Change Board members and the Manchester Climate Change Agency, with additional expert input from the Tyndall Centre and Anthesis Consulting.

You can download the Draft Framework and supporting documents at the bottom of this page.